Andy Kennedy was hired by Ole Miss in 2006 in the month of March, making him the new kid on the block in the rugged Southeastern Conference. Things were much different for the conference’s collection of basketball programs then. The SEC was respected, relevant and full of successful coaches with experience.
In the decade that proceeded that time, AK and the Rebel program have watched the likes of Billy Donovan, Tubby Smith, John Brady, Rick Stansbury, Mark Gottfried and most recently, Kevin Stallings, leave the league. Heck, Bruce Pearl was fired from Tennessee in 2011, only to return to coach Auburn starting in 2014.